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US government issues 1st-ever space junk fine, charging satellite TV company whopping $150k

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The FCC issued its first-ever fine for a space debris violation, slapping the DISH satellite TV company with a $150,000 penalty.

An illustration of a satellite in geosynchronous orbit.
An illustration of a satellite in geosynchronous orbit. (Image credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus)

The United States government has handed out its first-ever fine to a private company that left space junk in orbit.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a $150,000 fine to satellite television provider DISH for not safely deorbiting its EchoStar-7 satellite. The satellite was launched in 2002, and DISH originally intended to deorbit the spacecraft in May 2022. The satellite ran out of fuel, however, leaving the company no choice but to leave the satellite 100 miles (178 kilometers) short of its designated disposal region high above geostationary orbit. In this region, satellites can remain over one fixed spot on Earth.

The failure to dispose of the satellite at the end of its operational life violated the FCC's Communications Act, the commission wrote in a statement published Monday (Oct. 2.). "This marks a first in space debris enforcement by the Commission, which has stepped up its satellite policy efforts," the FCC pointed out.

The FCC issued the fine as part of its efforts to crackdown on irresponsible activity in Earth's orbit. "As satellite operations become more prevalent and the space economy accelerates, we must be certain that operators comply with their commitments," FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal said in the commission's statement. "This is a breakthrough settlement, making very clear the FCC has strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce its vitally important space debris rules."

Outside the U.S., the European Union is planning the development of its Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) constellation, which it hopes to have up and running by 2027. And a Chinese satellite communications project, Guowang, aims for 13,000 total satellites.

 And all of these satellites, if not deorbited safely and properly, will create unsafe conditions in the space surrounding our planet. "It's going to be like an interstate highway, at rush hour in a snowstorm with everyone driving much too fast," Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, previously told Space.com. "Except that there are multiple interstate highways crossing each other with no stoplights."

Originally posted on Space.com.

Brett Tingley
Editor, Space.com

Brett is a science and technology journalist who is curious about emerging concepts in spaceflight and aerospace, alternative launch concepts, anti-satellite technologies, and uncrewed systems. Brett's work has appeared on The War Zone at TheDrive.com, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery, and more. Brett has English degrees from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his free time, Brett is a working musician, a hobbyist electronics engineer and cosplayer, an avid LEGO fan, and enjoys hiking and camping throughout the Appalachian Mountains with his wife and two children.